I. Field of the Disclosure
The technology of the disclosure relates generally to managing ports and particularly to managing Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C ports.
II. Background
Computing devices have not only become exceptionally common throughout contemporary society, but also have experienced a phase of renewed diversity with numerous specialized or niche computing devices now available. For example, set top boxes, smart speakers, intelligent appliances, and home security systems have all added robust processors configured to provide specialized computing functions ancillary to some originally contemplated purpose. Historically, many of these devices had a dedicated power input, which, in many cases was a barrel jack receptacle. The barrel jack typically complied with one of a small number of standard form factors and was connected to a plug through a cable so as to receive power from a wall outlet. In many instances, the plug may include a transformer to convert alternating current (AC) delivered by the wall outlet to direct current (DC). In addition to barrel jacks, some of these niche computing devices may include an additional port such as an audio or video output. Such ports may also conform to one of a variety of established form factors (e.g., 3.5 mm audio jack, HDMI, or the like).
While barrel jacks for power are well-established and known technologies, not every device is designed to receive power through a barrel jack. One alternate power delivery format is through a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. Devices such as e-readers (e.g., the AMAZON KINDLE) may have a USB receptacle that receives a USB connector whose associated cable includes a plug for a wall outlet. While the various USB standards contemplate power delivery, USB ports are not limited to just power solutions. USB ports are also designed to convey data. The relatively recent USB Type-C port is one example of a multi-purpose port. Many of the niche computing devices are migrating to a USB Type-C port to provide a port that can be connected to myriad other computing devices for myriad other purposes. For example, a USB Type-C port may be used not just for power delivery, but also for audio and video data transfers. For example, a set top box (e.g., APPLE TV, ROKU, or the like) may include a video output such as a DisplayPort signal that is routed through a USB Type-C port. Still other devices may couple to a mobile terminal to use a modem and wireless data plan associated with the mobile terminal for content acquisition.
Given that the USB Type-C port can handle power as well as data transfers in a variety of formats, there is movement within the industry to consolidate receptacles in these niche computing devices to one or more USB Type-C ports and the elimination of the traditional barrel jack or consolidation of a micro-USB connector with secondary connector (e.g., HDMI) for audio/video. In situations where more than one USB Type-C port is available on a single device, a casual user may connect more than one such port to a respective power source, which may create a conflict between the ports. It is also possible that no particular port is coupled to a wall outlet and only one port is coupled to a weak power source (e.g., a mobile phone or laptop computer). Because most of these niche devices do not have a battery, such weak power sources may not be able to provide enough power to the device for operation. Accordingly, there is a need to be able to manage these ports in such devices to help improve the user experience and avoid port-to-port conflicts.